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Slower Than - "Alice
In Slower Than" 7" $3
Not quite
indicative of the bands sound, but pretty nonetheless. Two instrumentals
("Alice In Slower Than" and "Motto of the Self-Seeker")
written for the Alameda Children's Musical Theater's adaptation of Alice
In Wonderland. Lovely green vinyl. On Army Arms.
Sparrow - The Early Years
CD - $12
The latest Sparrow album, entitled The Early Years, captures Jason in full
stride, successfully blending the gentler sound of his current band's debut
with the upbeat pop rush of his previous band's work. There is a newfound
confidence in his voice as he sings in a higher register, adding a wonderfully
vibrant dynamic to the work. The album's title track alone is clearly the
work of a master craftsman and Jason Zumpano's finest work to date. The Early
Years makes it abundantly clear that Zumpano was as much Jason's creation
as anyone's. (AK051)
Songs About Stewart comp
CD - $12
Dave Sheridan - Americhameleon VHS - $16

Have you seen Ghost World? Great stuff, huh? Sure, Dan Clowes rules
and Terry Zwigoff's stuff is great too and Steve Buscemi is always fun and
Thora Birch is great, but many viewers would agree that the guy with the mullett
and the nunchuks steals the movie. The character's name is Stewart Reed (OK,
he's listed as "Doug" in the IMDB) and he was created and portrayed
by an actor named Dave Sheridan. Dave's old school San Diego before he drove
a couple of hours north to star in some Chili Peppers videos and appear in
such films as Scary Movie, Bubble Boy & Corky Romano. He also plays
two characters in the last Blackheart Procession video (for Did You Wonder).
In any case, we've now got a Stewart-centric CD called, um, Songs About
Stewart which includes tracks by the aforementioned Blackheart Procession,
Rob Crow (miscredited as "Rob Crowe"), and other San Diego luminaries
such as Inch, Gar Wood (Fishwife, Tanner), Chris Prescott (Fishwife, No Knife)
and others with Stewart's misadventures dubbed over the top. Many of Sheridan's
other characters can be seen in his hour-long video Americhameleon, also
available from us.
Summer At Shatter Creek -
Summer At Shatter Creek CD - $12
The heartwarming
debut full length by Los Angeles' (by way of Kalamazoo, MI) Summer At Shatter
Creek aka Craig Michael Gurwich. Turning heads from the moment you press
play. He's blessed with a voice that soars to the heavens and nearly shimmers
into the astral plane. His superbly fresh compositional instincts put him
firmly in the company of such pop innovators like Jason Lytle of Grandaddy,
Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips and Dave Fridmann of Mercury Rev. Gorgeous
stuff. (AK024)
Summer At Shatter Creek - All
The Answers CD - $12
The second album from Craig Gurwich. Waaaaaaaaay more stripped down than the
self-titled debut. On Badman.
Summer At Shatter Creek - Sink
or Swim CDEP - $8
Five
overwhelmingly beautiful, daydream-inducing songs from Summer at Shatter Creek
in the form of Sink or Swim, a limited-edition, piano-based CDEP! On Redder.
Summer At Shatter Creek -
Semi-Live CD - $10
A self-released
tour album from the artist praised by Magnet & Pitchfork both. From
the cover: "I figured that since my live show is so different from
my record, that I would do a live record like Peter Frampton. Kiss and Jimmy
Buffett did. So here it is, Semi-Live. Hopefully it will go platinum
like those other records." Completely stripped down versions of five
songs off the record plus one new song, the absolutely sublime "All
the Answers." Think Mark Hollis (of Talk Talk), Low and Roy Harper
and you're coming close.
The Swords Project self-titled
CDEP $9
Portland,
OR's seven-piece dynamo make the sounds of heaven's gates opening on their four
song, 28-minute debut. Orchestral but not pompous, warm and yet very, very hot.
An incredible start for a band that will surely turn heads.
Systems Officer - Systems Officer CDEP - $9.00
The first ever solo outing from Armistead Burwell Smith IV of Pinback and Three Mile Pilot. Five songs of all killer, no filler contemplative, textured and intense pop for which Zach has become known. On Ace Fu.
Telegraph Melts - Ilium
CD $12
This beautiful
record fell into our eager and waiting laps after the late, great Cleveland
label Happy Go Lucky closed its doors. The duo of Bob Massey on electric guitar
and Amy Dominguez on amplified cello, augmented by the occasional drumming
of Devin Ocampo (Smart Went Crazy), took an unusual approach to experimental
classical and instrumental rock and fused the results together. The results
were lazily compared to the Rachels and the Dirty Three due to the use of
stringed instruments, but Telegraph Melts (named after a Jandek record) refused
to rest on the oh-so-somber element that is supposedly intrinsic to bowed
strings. The band broke-up before a planned remix 12" could be released
(though an excellent remix by Mu-ziq will wind-up somewhere as soon as we
can pay the guy). Five songs, thirty-five minutes, nothing else like it. (AK004)
Listen
to "Septembrist" courtesy of Epitonic.
Thingy - To The Innocent
CD $12
The second
full length from the fires of San Diego. Ex-Heavy Vegetables Rob Crow and
Elea Tenuta are joined here by Jason Soares (Physics) on bass and Mario
Rubalcaba (Blackheart Procession, Clikitat Ikatowi) on drums. Lay down your
weapons for the war is over but forgive us if we'd like the battles to continue.
Pop music goes astray but you can still hear its homing beacon. Now-defunct
website Gigmania heard it too on "Mayday," the first song on the
album, and gave the band $40,000 in tour support. 19 songs that show Crow
at his best since "Frisbie." Includes "O.B.1," "Plenty,"
"Ketchup Sandwich" and "Rope Swing." (AK003) Listen
to "Mayday" courtesy of Epitonic.
Thingy - Songs About Angels,
Evil and Running Around On Fire CD $12
The
first full length. 24 songs in all including the greatest song ever written
about tiny magical creatures "Cottingley Fairies," "Cutest
Baby" and "Drugs." This one is very popular among the ladies.
On Headhunter/Cargo. Listen
to "Revolution in a Box" courtesy of Epitonic.
Three Mile Pilot - Three
Mile Pilot CDEP - $9
Finally available
through us! 1998's self-titled CDEP courtesy of Gravity Records, just
about the last release of new material we've seen by this incredbile
San Diego band whose halves went on to Pinback and the Black Heart Procession.
Three Mile Pilot - Another
Desert, Another Sea CD - $12
Three Mile Pilot - Another Desert, Another Sea dbl. gatefold
LP - $11
Ryan Craven
of the Jim Yoshii Pile-Up swears that this is one of the greatest albums
ever. He says that it's fantastic on the first listen and after the 25th
or so listen, it becomes godlike. I am, admittedly, a more recent convert,
but I am inclined to give his claim creedence. It's clear here how both
Pinback and Black Heart Procession came to be, but there's an urgency here,
a potent yet tragic sexuality that makes this record unique. Great stuff.
On Headhunter/Cargo.
Three Mile Pilot - Na Vucca
Do Lupu CD - $12
All Music
Guide says, "Na Vucca Do Lupu is a semi-remarkable release for
1992 — the band's guitar-less lineup keeps it from falling into any of the
sounds that were quickly becoming cliches in the early '90s, using robust
bass work to fill the gaps instead." On Headhunter/Cargo.
Three Mile Pilot - The
Chief Assassin to the Sinister CD - $12
Artist Direct
says, "Three Mile Pilot have recorded an overwhelming clarion call
to the next generation of music beyond "alternative" -- cautionary yet hopeful,
discordant yet inviting, powerful and hypnotic." Chapter two in an
enthralling and compelling saga. This is not the major label version. On
Headhunter/Cargo.
Three Mile Pilot - An Old
Town We Once Knew 2xCD - $14
Double-CD set
lovingly anthologizes B-sides, oddities, out of print 7" tracks, and unreleased
rarities. Worth it's weight in gold or even truffles. On Headhunter/Cargo.
Three Mile Pilot - Circumsized
shaped 10" picture disc - $9
Awesomely
shaped picture disc record with the a-side single (from Chief Assassin...)
with "Nussun" (also on An Old Town) on the flip. Time to
take down that Stryper picture disc and throw this one on the wall...or
on the record player, of course. On Headhunter/Cargo
Jenny Toomey - Tempting:
Sings the Songs of Franklin Bruno CD - $12
Jenny Toomey,
ex-frontwoman for indie darlings Tsunami and longtime Franklin Bruno pal
and supporter (her Simple Machines label released Franklin's first solo
album, A Bedroom Community), both collaborates with and pays tribute
to the songwriting genius of Franklin Bruno. Contains such classics as "Cheat,"
"Just Because It's Dying" and "Your Inarticulate Boyfriend"
as well as new gems written specifically for this project such as "Every
Little Bit Hurts." On Misra.
Two Guys - Recorded CD
- $12
Ex-Pinback/Thingy/Physics
guy (and true guitar prodigy) Cameron Jones and his brother Ryan have arrived!
Bare-bones instrumentation (baritone guitar, drums & vocals) discharge
herky-jerky rhythmic structures & tight melodies (comparable to Thingy or
Heavy Vegetable) all surrounding a tender lyricism unique to Two Guys. Songs
run the gamut from melancholy sweet serenades ("Victoria") to
seething anthems of sexual frustration ("Ode to Masturbation"),
all with a humbling sense of humor. (AK027)
Virginia Dare - Baby Got
Away CD $12
The debut
album from the San Francisco trio of Mary O'Neil, Brad Johnson (both ex-Wannabe
Texans who released a great record on the Mekons' short-lived Snat label)
& Greg Freeman (Pell Mell). The sound of the feeling you get with a full
belly walking down Valencia Street on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the breeze
giggling against your face as you relish in San Francisco's Indian Summer.
The rhythm section is brought to you by Greg's bass and the strum-strumming
of Mary's autoharp (no drums here). The texture comes via Brad's unique guitar
styling (there's a screwdriver where the whammy bar would normally be). The
melody, ah, the melody's dressed up in Mary's proud and pretty alto croon
as she delivers tales of urban Americana. Guest vocals by Barbara Manning.
Includes "Dumb as a Doll," "Secret Spy Planes" and "Johnny
Depp." (AK002) Listen
to "Baby Got Away" courtesy of Epitonic.
The Wrens - The Meadowlands
CD - $12
We know that a
lot of people have been anxiously awaiting the return of New Jersey's rock
powerhouse The Wrens after a five year absence. MAGNET just voted this
one of the 60 best albums of the last ten years. Pitchfork is nuts about them
and the New York Times is too. Unstoppable.
The Wrensmeadow
green t-shirts are
here! - $16
You asked for it - a brand new Wrens
shirt, this one designed by Jason Munn of Small Stakes. These beauties are brown
and gold ink on an olive green American Apparel tee. Available in Girly Medium,
Adult Medium, Large, and XL, so please specify your size.
The Wrens raglan
baseball jersey t-shirts are here! - $16
The garment you demanded, a front
and back image printed in black on white with black trim & 3/4 sleeves raglan
baseball jersey style t-shirts. "The Wrens" in old-style team cursive
on the front with the album title and a number 53 (to commemorate their inclusion
on Magnet's "top 60 albums in the last ten years" list) on the back.
We put a little extra effort to make these very stylish and, consequently, they
cost a little more than our other shirts, but they're worth it. Available in
Small, Medium, Large, & XL, so please specify your size.

The Wrens buttons
are here!
"The Wrens" in black type on a light blue background with a
picture of (what else) a wren, 1" in diameter. $1.50.
The Wrens/Five Mod Four split CDEP - $9
A new jewel box version of the out-of-print split between the Wrens and the Five Mod Four formerly on No Karma. The Wrens songs include "Was There Ever," "Bus Dance" and "45'er." On Contraphonic. BACK IN STOCK!!!
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up/Xiu Xiu
- split CD - $7.00
An
Insound tour ep split between two of our favorite bands. The four Xiu Xiu
tracks are from their forthcoming album (don't know the title, duein 2004).
The four Jim Yoshii Pile-Up tracks are all unreleased elsewhere. Recorded by Chris Walla of Deathcab For Cutie, who did his usual outstanding job here.
Includes a cover of "Seattle, WA" by Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. On Insound. Yeah,
we're $0.50 more expensive than Insound, but we don't charge shipping, so
lay-off, OK?
Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles CD - $12, LP - $12.50
The third and most wonderful Xiu Xiu album yet! Includes the unbelievable title track plus a remake of Ten In The Swear Jar's "I Love the Valley, Oh!" and the crippling "Nieces Pieces." Ten songs in all. The CD is on 5RC, the LP is very limited from Free Porcupine Society.
Xiu Xiu - Knife Play CD
- $12, LP REPRESS PRE-ORDER - $11
This album is
the second coming. Of what? Well, what is it that crawls out of you when you
spot an emotional ghost, a pain you thought you buried ages ago? What is it
about the sound of fingernails against a chalk board that makes the hairs
on your arms and the back of your neck stand up? What makes a kiss good? Hey,
if abstract descriptions drive you nuts and you need me to say that this sounds
like Talk Talk's Mark Hollis fronting the Sun City Girls or the Smiths holding
a rave in the sewer, well, OK, but you need this album as much as anyone if
not more. The CD is on 5 Rue Christine and we released the LP with poster
(AK018) which was limited to 500 copies and SOLD OUT!!! We will be repressing
the LP in a regular LP jacket for release this August (2005), so pre-order
yours today! Pitchfork named this in their top albums for the first half of
2002.
Xiu Xiu - Chapel of the
Chimes CDEP - $9.50
The devastating wonders from San Jose returns with a five song EP of new material. Several of the tracks are even sparser than album's barest songs. Blunted house beats seemingly recorded several rooms away provide the barest suggestion of structure as Jamie's fertile tenor, a cross between Talk Talk's Mark Hollis, Pere Ubu's David Thomas and The Cure's Robert Smith, bursts forth. The vicious "Jennifer Lopez" is a beast with its skin off, all teeth and sinew glistening in the sun. The EP closes with a reckless cover of the Joy Division/New Order classic "Ceremony." (AK023)
Xiu Xiu - A Promise CD
- $12.00, LP - $12.00
Even
more devastating than the first album. Xiu Xiu saves.
(I'm being brief for effect here, not because there's a lack of things
to say about this wonderful and crushing record.) CD on 5RC. LP on Collective
Jyrk is BACK IN STOCK.
Xiu Xiu - Fag Patrol CD
- $12
As if Xiu
Xiu could be any more naked, any more exposed. Jamie reveals another side
to his music on this largely acoustic collection of songs from the band's
three prior releases plus two new songs and a Smiths cover ("Asleep").
This CD is limited to 1000 copies and comes in beautiful handmade packaging
courtesy of the Free Porcupine Society.
Xiu Xiu -
Freddie
t-shirt - $14.50
Xiu Xiu - For Life
t-shirt - $14.50
Xiu Xiu - Kill
4 Xiu Xiu t-shirt - $14.50


Many fabulous garments to show-off your emotional nakedness. The Russian Prison Tattoo is a lovely bunch of hand drawn tattoos on a brown Gilden T. The Xiu Muthafuckin Xiu is fairly self explanatory, dark blue on light blue. The cartoon icon is a wonderful, bizarre set of icons, black on pink. The Freddie is a charmed shirt featuring the late Mr. Mercury beneath the band's name, white ink on a black tee. The patriotic Kill 4 Xiu Xiu shirt, red, white and blue ink on a blacktee. The For Life is emblazoned with "Xiu Xiu For Life" very slyly printed in electric blue on a black tee. Size availability varies. Please note: Kill 4 Large, Small and Girly sizes are currently out of stock
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You can also pay by check or money order payable to Cory Brown at the below address.
ABSOLUTELY
KOSHER RECORDS
1412 10th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-1512
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